BOOK UNDER REVIEW:  The Unbearable Lightness of Being  by Milan Kundera

ABOUT THE URBAN SOALCE BOOK CLUB:

The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club for started in 2010 as a result of a meet-up of writers whose stories were published in the book "Chicken Soup for the Indian Teachers Soul" inspired by the energy of this experience "The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club was born. From there it has grown from strength to strength hosting its monthly meet on the second Sunday of every month. Over the years the club has hosted over 50 published authors to discuss their writings, and these writers were the best from Bangalore, India and around the world who have sought us out to experience this dynamic of our club. Today The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club has a set of loyal supporters and a sterling reputation of being the longest running book club in the city in a cafe setting and is sought after by several writers from Bangalore and across the country to be featured in our experience.

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a 1984 novel by Milan Kundera, about two women, two men, a dog, and their lives in the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history. Although written in 1982, the novel was not published until two years later, in a French translation (as L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être).The same year, it was translated to English from Czech by Michael Henry Heim and excerpts of it were published in The New Yorker. The original Czech text was published the following year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera - (1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship in 2019.

Kundera's best-known work is The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Before the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the country's ruling Communist Party of Czechoslovakia banned his books. He led a low-profile life and rarely spoke to the media. He was thought to be a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature and was also a nominee for other awards.

Kundera was awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 1985, the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 1987, and the Herder Prize in 2000. In 2021, he received the Golden Order of Merit from the president of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.

ABOUT THE CURATOR: Vijay Kumar

Vijay Kumar has over thirty years of experience in Sales and Marketing, working with a Tata Group Company. His current focus is on Communication and use of Behaviourial Science in influencing choices. His reading includes Thaler, Ariely and Rory Sutherland. He is also revisiting old masters such as Graham Greene in a burst of nostalgia. Been a regular at Urban Solace since its inception.